Image: Emilio Labrador via
Creative Commons
I would like to think that I am growing wiser with each passing year. Perhaps I am making better choices, exhibiting a better attitude, and showing greater compassion towards others. I do think this is the case some of the time.
However, I do have to admit that the source of my wisdom does not stem from maturity. Instead I see that a lot of wisdom is born out of fatigue.
What do I mean?
I will be in a situation where I have to make a decision. Am I going to be upset? Am I going to confront another person? Am I going to assert myself to achieve an ideal? I begin to imagine all the physical and emotional work that will need to exert in order to get my way, and then I pivot.
It will save me a lot of effort if I just learn to accept the situation at hand. I can adjust my attitude, which is also called "cognitive reframing." I can detach as the Buddhists advise: attachment leads to suffering.
Now that I am in my sixties, I am seeing that I still have some character flaws, but I often just refrain from pushing for my preferences because it's just easier in the long run.
Related: